In Seven Samurai, he was the good-natured samurai Heihachi, and he was the first of the samurai to be killed. In real life, he was the last of the seven actors to die.

Later in his career, he appeared as a secondary actor in many Toei films. In 1986, he was given the Best Actor prize at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony for his performance in Toei's Gray Sunset (1985).[1]